


Daughter of Olympus

by idontwantperfection



Series: Descendants AUs & such like [2]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Hades is a Good Parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25903987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontwantperfection/pseuds/idontwantperfection
Summary: The path to true love was never smooth. Somehow, growing up on Olympus left Mal with more commitment issues than the Isle.It took seven years for Ben to convince her to stay. Mal thinks he could have done it in three if he wasn’t such a gentleman.Snapshots of the life Mal could have had if Hades raised her as a demigod.
Relationships: Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants)
Series: Descendants AUs & such like [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960822
Comments: 19
Kudos: 218





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OCT 2020 UPDATE: I’ve been informed that part of this story have been reproduced elsewhere by someone who is not me. This is the original work, and the only other pseudonym I’ve ever written under is HesMines on FanFiction.Net.
> 
> Hades decided when Mal was three weeks old he was taking the kids and that was that. Rumour has it EQ and Maleficent killed their babies. Hades didn’t dispute it. 
> 
> I originally challenged myself to write five snapshots, 300-500 words each. Three days and over 7k words later, I’m having a socially distanced walk with my best friend asking her why I cannot possibly write short things. She cackled.
> 
> This is probably my furthest deviation from cannon - aside from the personality shifts from growing up elsewhere, Evie and Mal are both Hades’ daughters. Why? I felt like it was easier than working out how Evie could get in and out of the Underworld while human.

_Once upon a time, long, long ago... well, more like 30 years ago... Belle married her Beast in front of six thousand of their closest personal friends. Big cake.  
_

_Yeah, so instead of a honeymoon, Beast united all of the kingdoms and got himself elected king of the United States of Auradon. He rounded up all the villains and sidekicks... basically all the really interesting people... and he booted them off to the Isle of the lost with a magical barrier to keep them there._

_That should have been my hood._

_No magic. No wi-fi. No way out._

_But instead...this happened._

“Where the fuck are you, M.” Hades muttered angrily, pacing the floor of Dragon Hall with two sleeping infants in his arms. 

The slightly bigger one had a full head of blue hair, slightly darker than his. EQ had suffered from terrible heartburn. He’d felt no remorse. The other was completely bald...but Hades wasn’t lucky enough to have two kids that matched him.

Ever since Evie had been born four months before, he’d been the primary caregiver. He did the day feeds. And the night feeds. And every diaper. 

EQ was straight back to her pre-pregnancy ways. Spending all day in front of her mirror. Sweeping through town being generally menacing. Flirting with anything with a pulse.

Evie had been an accident. They both admitted that. But only one of them had stepped up. 

And then when his...girlfriend? Long term fuck? Had been put out that he’d gotten someone else pregnant (Hades felt like he had done well to go this long without either getting married or accidentally fathering a child...look at his brothers) and decided to get knocked up herself.

At least with Maleficent, he knew she wasn’t the mothering type.

She’d laid her egg. Hatched it three weeks ago. And promptly handed the baby off to him before going back to terrorising the Isle.

Neither of his baby mommas had been home in a day and a half. And even then, they’d barely looked in the direction of their offspring.

Glancing at the clock again, he made his choice. 

He was a god. He wasn’t trapped here, despite what he let people think. His powers weren’t inherently good or evil, they just were. And he was more powerful than some blue powder puff with a wand.

And his daughters, his power was in their blood. They weren’t trapped here either. 

Maybe it was time to make use of his suite on Mount Olympus. Hera had been commenting on the lack of newborns recently.


	2. Twenty One

_Twenty One._

“You look like you’re having a terrible time. Smile. It’s your twenty first birthday and you’re the most eligible bachelor in the kingdom.” Evie teased Ben as he spun her around the ballroom easily. She was his twenty sixth partner of the night. She wasn’t the last. And she knew it.

“I have three more hours of dancing with every eligible maiden in this room between the ages of eighteen and twenty five.” Ben groaned, somehow keeping the smile on his face. 

He wasn’t complaining about dancing with Evie. She was a welcome break. She was his friend, kind of. She had absolutely zero interest in him. She was light on her feet and danced with all the grace of someone who had been raised with court life in mind.

Granted her court was on Olympus. But court life was court life. 

Objectively, he could admit Evie was attractive. She was the prettiest girl in the room. With her sapphire blue waves cascading down her back, and her midnight blue gown fitted like a glove, she was the envy of every princess in attendance.

Such was the burden of a demigod.

But he only had eyes for her sister.

The daughters of Hades were truly princesses of the Underworld. But they wore their crowns differently.

Evie was the honey pot. A seductive death. She would flutter her eyelashes and throw you a smile, and you’d follow her without a care in the world.

Evie was drowning in calm waters on a hot summer's day.

Mal was the fire that ripped through your castle while you slept.

Mal was the death you feared. A living nightmare. She didn’t sneak up behind you. She didn’t pretend she was anything other than she was. 

Mal’s death stalked her prey. Walking towards it with a smile.

And Ben couldn’t look away.


	3. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meeting

_ Six. _

Ben glanced around the room, his eyes wide. He’d never seen anything like this. Ever. And his dad was the King.

They were at a party. On a mountain. In the clouds.

Some blue guy with wings had met them at a hotel and poof, they were here. 

In some gigantic ballroom, with clouds and pillars everywhere. And so much food lining the walls. 

Ben wondered if there would be any other children here. There wasn’t always.

He didn’t even know what tonight’s event was for.

“Hi. My daddy says I can ask you to come play with us.” 

Ben jumped when a girl about his age appeared from nowhere. She was wearing a deep purple dress, with a big poofy skirt. Her hair was long and curly - and  _ purple _ . No one in Auradon had purple hair. She had a little silver tiara in her hair, telling Ben she was some kind of princess.

“ _ Mallie _ , remember not everyone is used to teleportation.” a voice warned from behind Ben. He turned to see a tall man with blue hair stepping in beside his parents. He looked like he belonged in a rock band, with his black T-shirt and sleeveless leather trench coat. Holding his hand was another girl about his age. She had bright blue hair - did everyone here have cool hair colours? - and was wearing a blue dress with little diamonds on it. And lots and lots of layers on the skirt. Her tiara was gold. 

He thought it was strange the sisters didn’t match. In Auradon, mothers seemed to like making siblings wear the same colours and outfits. 

The only similarities were the tiaras - the design was the same, even if one was gold with rubies and the other was silver with emeralds. Ben thought the tiara looked like it had a snake in it. But it probably wasn’t. No one made designs for crowns that cool.

“Sorry,” Mallie muttered, not sounding sorry at all. Then she refocused on Ben, clapping her hands together. “Come on, we can go annoy Hermes and steal his wings!” She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him off towards one of the tables where the man with the wings was standing talking to another man in a toga. “I’m Mal by the way, and this is my big sister Evie. We have different moms, that’s why we’re only three months apart. Uncle Zeus has lots of kids like that. What’s your name?”

Ben was too far away to hear the words his father muttered to Hades. And even if he had, he was too young to understand them. 

_ I always wondered how those two survived if they had truly killed your daughters.  _


	4. Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even Princes need vacations.
> 
> So, this chapter is a bit longer than 500 words...as is almost every other chapter after this.

_Eighteen._

Ben laughed as he broke the surface of the water, triumphantly holding the ball aloft. He threw it towards Doug as Chad tackled him around the waist - again - and pulled him under.

It felt good to be ‘just Ben’ for a little bit. 

They had just graduated from Auradon Prep, and before heading off on their respective paths they had decided on a guys holiday. In an attempt to have some anonymity from the local press, they had decided on Europe. 

Ben was the only major royal on the trip, but Chad and Aziz were minor royals. Just one of them was enough to draw attention in Auradon. So - with Jane’s help - all ten of them had ended up in Greece.

They were three days into ten, and Ben had never felt lighter.

No Crown Prince duties. No balls. No council meetings. No angry ex-girlfriend. 

Just his friends, beer and plenty of water polo.

After losing spectacularly to Chad’s team, Ben excused himself to grab a drink from the bar. He was almost there when a large black sun hat turned and walked right into him. 

Ben held his arms out to steady her instinctively, somehow ending up on her bare waist. He expected to end up covered in whatever drinks she had in her hand, but instead the cocktails glasses were suspended in mid-air a few centimetres from his chest.

The girl apologised quickly, reaching out to grab them. The green glow around the glasses disappeared when she touched them, and Ben was suddenly reminded of the prevalence of magic outside Auradon. In some places, especially mainland Europe, it was almost commonplace. Not the big spells like cursing entire kingdoms. More like hairstyles and carrying your groceries. That’s probably why he hadn’t noticed it before now.

“It’s fine, no harm, no foul.” Ben laughed, making a conscious effort to remove his hands from her waist. It wasn’t just un-Kingly, it was rude. Even if he somehow felt like they belonged there.

She laughed, and it hit him in the chest. He could feel himself being drawn in, being called for. And then she looked up - she was a good foot shorter than he was - the brim of the hat lifting to reveal her face.

She was pale - kind of like she didn’t get out in the sun often enough, kind of like the woodland fairies that lived out by the Moors. But her skin had an almost ethereal glow about it that told him she wasn’t quite human. 

But he was drawn straight to her eyes. A brilliant green, with little gold flecks that made her eyes look like they were glimmering. They were soft, laughing with him, inviting him in. 

Ben was definitely being spelled. He knew it. 

He blinked quickly, forcing himself to look away. His head felt clearer, marginally. Enough that he noticed the tiny blue bikini, purple sarong and matching hair.

“Wow, I’m impressed. Normally you party boys have no issues answering the siren’s call.” the girl laughed, leaning back against the bar to study him. The way she stood, elbows on the bar, back arched, it was an invitation.

An invitation he really wanted to accept, and he wasn’t even spelled at this point. 

“Have we met?” He asked, wondering why he found her so familiar. Something about her hair triggered a memory - of purple ballgowns and plates piled high with fruit and...clouds? 

“ _No_ .” The girl’s eyes widened in realisation, the edges of her mouth curling up into a sly grin. Despite the word, he knew she was answering in the affirmative. “You came to Olympus when I was six. I stole your crown.” Her laugh brought back more memories. Chasing someone with wings on his shoes. Her tilting his crown as she reluctantly put it back on his head. Dancing in a floating ballroom. Mal. Her name was Mal. “We bullied Hermes. You were at my sixteenth birthday party. _You_ are a long way from Auradon.”

“This isn’t exactly the Underworld either.” Ben laughed, gesturing to the sand and sun. Mal pulled a face and gestured to her hat, as if that answered all the questions. “ _I_ was looking for some privacy and hiding from reporters. I’m surprised to find you here, mingling with the mere mortals. Didn’t your father have a rule against playing with your food?”

Ben’s memories of Hades were sharper than those of his daughters, but that was probably because the man terrified him. Hades was a regular at the Court of Auradon - Zeus seemed to like sending him to represent the gods. He always looked at Ben like he’d done something wrong. Or would do something wrong, and Hades was just waiting for the opportunity to steal his soul.

“You try telling that to Evie.” Mal just laughed, fixing Ben with a look he couldn’t quite decipher. Like she was sizing him up. “You know Mount Olympus is like right over there?”

She pointed over her shoulder, and Ben knew there was a mountain range in that direction. He didn’t bother looking, instead shrugging and gesturing to the bartender for another drink. “Can’t say it’s on my itinerary.”

Seemingly happy with that response, she turned to lean against the bar. If anything, it improved Ben’s view. Now he didn’t need to imagine the way her body curved or just how small her bikini was. He forced himself to drag his gaze back to her face. 

“Me either,” Her eyes sparked with mischief, as if she knew exactly where his mind was going. She threw him another grin, this time it was fullong promise. Like she was convincing him to bunk off afternoon classes to make out behind the bike sheds. “Evie decided we needed some sun. Slow day in the Underworld, so why not?”

“Your father did not let you out wearing that bikini.” Ben decided the safest, most Kingly option was to lean on the bar next to her. It let him lean over and nudge her shoulder with his - a friendly gesture, not a reason to touch her again. Even if the contact made his skin warm and his breathing hitch.

“You going to tell him?” Mal raised an eyebrow in challenge, daring him to imagine telling her father.

“I feel like Hades is the kind of guy who shoots the messenger.” Ben replied with a smirk, knowing he wasn’t far off the mark. Hades’ temper was legendary.

“He does. That’s why we always send Hermes. He’s fireproof.” Mal deadpanned as the bartender returned with Ben’s beer. He’d left his credit card at the bar when they arrived, cutting out the hassle now. It left him free to focus on his companion, and whether or not she was kidding. “So.” Mal inclined her head towards his drink, “Are you joining us or not?”

“I thought your siren call failed?” Ben pointed out, although they both knew what his answer would be.

“That’s for prey.” Mal winked, pushing off from the bar and adding a little extra sway to her hips, as if she knew he’d be watching her walk away, “I haven’t decided what you are yet.”

…

Ben wasn’t sure how the reporter got the photo. 

_Jane: Cogsworth is going to have an aneurysm._

_Lonnie: I think Audrey is going to turn into a dragon judging from the smoke coming out her ears. You guys literally broke up a week ago Ben. That’s a dick move._

_Jane: Your dad just sighed and went ‘of course it’s her’ and moved onto the next topic. Cogsworth has actually run out of words. Who is she?_

_Chad: Thank god they only took pictures of you. I have too many girls on the hook back home. Hope you aren’t trying to get back with Audrey after this._

_Jane: I’m serious. Who is she?_

_Doug: Good luck sneaking her out, reporters are everywhere._

The photo had appeared on _AuradonNow!’_ s website while they were asleep. Ben had awoken to purple hair in his face, and a phone full of messages.

First, he clicked the link Jane sent him. She was interning at the palace this summer before starting her business degree at UoA. She was working with Cogsworth, who ran the entire household, including the PR work. But she would have sent him the link anyway. She was thorough like that. 

It didn’t help that news of his break up with Audrey wasn’t common knowledge yet. Two weeks ago _AuradonNow!_ had published their graduation photos. Today they were posting pictures of him on a Greek beach with another girl.

The picture had been taken towards the late afternoon. Ben was on the sun lounger, arms resting lazily on his knees as he talked to Doug. Mal was sitting between his legs, resting on his chest and reading a magazine.

It was cosy. It was intimate. 

It was lucky they didn’t have a view of his shorts. 

Mal had spent the afternoon luring him in, playing some kind of game of chicken. 

After grabbing a drink from the bar, he’d walked with Mal to where Evie was stretched out on a sun lounger. He’d sat down to catch up with the sisters - they’d crossed paths often enough that Evie jumped up to pull him into a hug when she spotted him. Then his friends had slowly drifted over, drawn to Evie like moths to a flame. 

The girls had shared a look, Evie grinning as her eyes moved between Mal and Ben. Evie entertained the boys - she seemed to have a soft spot for Doug - while leaving Ben and Mal to their own devices.

When it had been time to head back to the hotel, Ben invited them to dinner. 

And when they’d turned up, dressed in little blue sundresses like they’d just walked off a catwalk, and Mal looking at him like he was indeed prey, Ben knew he’d made the right call to break things off with Audrey before leaving.

That didn’t make the pictures any better though.


	5. Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal does not share well with others

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of sex, but nothing more

_Nineteen._

“We really need to stop meeting like this.” Ben smirked, nudging Mal with his elbow as he fixed his tie. 

The one thing Ben loved about this restaurant was that the bathrooms were five individual little rooms - non-gendered, big enough to have a toilet, sink and a little cabinet with towels and toiletries. There was room to move around. 

There was also room to pin the girl you couldn’t stop thinking about to the wall and ravish her. 

“I have no idea what you mean.” Mal replied innocently, the tone at odds with the way she was pulling her dress down and trying to flatten her hair. She gave up after a moment, instead snapping her fingers and returning to her previous state. 

“You’ve crashed the last four dates I’ve been on.” Ben pointed out, failing to mention the other ‘accidental’ run-ins they’d had.

After they’d woken up in Greece to their pictures on the cover of _AuradonNow!,_ Mal had just shrugged and pulled him back to bed. Then Evie had text to say their father had burnt a hole in the ceiling and she should probably get her ass home. 

He’d thought that had been the end of it. 

They didn’t swap phone numbers - did cell phones even work in the Underworld? - and they didn’t make plans for round two. Ben was ready to chalk it up to a holiday romance and head home to face the music. 

Audrey met him at the palace, briskly informing him that she was putting out a statement saying that she had ended the relationship before the trip and that they’d remained friends. That the least he could do after embarrassing her like that was go along with it.

His parents had reminded him of the need to look for reporters - because not every girl he decided to flirt with would be as obvious with her intentions, or well receiving of the paparazzi photos as Hades’ daughters had been.

Cogsworth had read him the riot act. Twice.

But then six weeks later, he had been at a charity event in Africa…and she was there. 

Olympians didn’t tend to frequent these events, so it wasn’t a chance meeting. As a rule, they kept to themselves. Those who did mingle with humans tended to be party girls or womanisers. 

He’d spotted her across the room, and cornered her at the buffet table. 

_Looks like Dorothy got lost on the yellow brick road…_

_Please, I’m more wicked than the witch._

She’d ended the night in his hotel room. Again.

Then two months after that, she was on his flight to Rio. Despite being with both Jane and Cogsworth, the moment she’d sauntered past his seat - this time in full black leather - one glimpse of her bedroom eyes and he was making his excuses to follow her to the plane’s tiny bathroom.

That pattern continued for a year. But then people started setting him up on dates. 

It was well intentioned. They were always group things. As Crown Prince he was expected to marry. Produce an heir and a spare.

But he didn’t quite know how to get out of them. What could he say?

_Sorry, I’m rather busy engaging in irregular, purely physical activities with a demigod and I much prefer that to conventional dating. Thanks for the offer though._

Mal had been furious when she’d crashed that first date.

It had been at a polo match. Ben hated polo. He’d been making polite small talk with the girl - one of Jane’s friends from college - when he caught sight of a flash of purple by the stables. 

He’d excused himself, pretending he had a call to take. He hadn’t even been sure of what he’d seen. It could have been a rider or a groom. But he’d hoped it wasn’t.

Stepping into the stables, he was immediately pulled into one of the stalls and pinned against the wall. Mal’s arm was across his chest, keeping him in place. He was pretty sure she wanted to move it up a few inches and cut off his airways.

Her eyes were glowing green, her hair was on fire, levitating behind her. 

“Who the fuck is _she_?”

Ben had done the only thing that seemed logical at that point. He’d kissed her.

It was hard and frantic and desperate. And he’d hoped it said everything he couldn’t.

_I’m sorry._

_I’d rather be here with you._

_I don’t know what this thing is but I want it._

He didn’t make it back to his date. Urgent Princely business. Jane almost killed him.

The second date had been in a club. She’d teased him by flirting with someone at the bar. He’d seen red. Doug, catching sight of _exactly_ what had made his best friend start channeling the Beast, quickly created a distraction.

After that, it was almost like a game to them. To see how far they could push the boundaries before something snapped.

Tonight was an escalation. His mother had been the matchmaker. 

His parents, date, and some family friends were literally fifteen feet away while he had sex in a bathroom with his jealous demigod...friends with benefits?

“I’ve saved those girls a lot of hassle really,” Mal scoffed, moving to check her hair in the mirror. Intentionally rubbing up against him. Tease. “Who wants to date a boy who will happily run off to a bathroom with someone else?”

Giving up on his tie, Ben dropped his hands to wind them around her waist. He still couldn’t get over how right it felt to have her in his arms. How it felt like she belonged there. He just needed to make her see that, “I wouldn’t be subjected to these dates if _someone_ _else_ would let me take _her_ on a date.”

“I don’t date.” Mal quipped, just like she did any time he brought it up. “Not humans, not demigods, not fairies, nor any other variation of the above that you can think of.”

He let her believe it. Let her believe that this was still casual. That it was totally normal for people who casually slept together to spend time together outside of the sex and hit this degree of possessiveness. That they weren’t falling head first towards...something.

So instead, he nuzzled her neck and drank in her perfume, knowing it wouldn’t be long before she disappeared on him again. “Admit it. You don’t want me to date.”

“ _Bennyboo_ ,” Audrey’s old pet name rolled off her tongue easily, and he still wondered how she’d found out about that. She turned in his arms, winding hers around his neck. “If you keep going on dates...I’ll keep showing up to wreck them.”

She sounded light and carefree as she said it. As if she was talking to a toddler. But Ben knew it was a veiled threat. The sweeter Mal sounded, the more he worried. 

Reaching up on her tiptoes, she stopped just shy of his lips as she whispered, “I don’t like it when other people touch my stuff.”

And then she was gone in a puff of purple smoke.


	6. Twenty One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben had to find out who her mother was at some point

_ Twenty One. _

“You’re late.” Ben murmured as he stepped into the formal hold of ballroom dancing. Mal simply smiled at him, the perfect lady of the court. They’d both done this a million times over the years. 

“No, Doug tweaked the rotation.” Her tone was light, teasing. The winning smile never left her face as they waited for the music to start. 

Ben’s head snapped to his right, glaring at his best friend. Doug was in position with Evie, and Ben knew that's where they’d be for the rest of the night. Doug simply rolled his eyes and aimed a pointed look at the back of Mal’s head.

Ben had never been as good at the poker face as she was. Ben could believe that Mal was genuinely unaffected by their proximity after no contact for three weeks. Only because he was sure she had something planned for later, and this was all part of his torture.

“And why would he do that,” Ben muttered petulantly and the music began. Fixing a smile on this face, he started to move. 

He didn’t want anyone to think he wasn’t enjoying this dance. He just wished that she had been sooner. They were over halfway through the night now.

Normally, the dance order was determined by status. Hades was the highest ranking individual in the room, which meant his second daughter should have been second to dance. Instead, his partners had been more...random.

“He didn’t think you’d dance with anyone else if I was number two on your dance card.” Mal laughed easily, the twinkle in her eye telling him she didn’t view it as a snub. 

Despite himself, Ben laughed too. Doug probably had a point. 

“That almost sounds like permission,” Ben mused and, on a whim, pulled Mal closer as they turned. He didn’t let her step back again. Instead of keeping some space between their bodies as was expected, Ben now held Mal against his chest. 

It was a subtle change. They were now more like the couples that surrounded them. Mal bit her lip as she held back a laugh, mischief dancing through her eyes.

She approved.

Ben knew the cameras were trained on them. He knew the reporters would pick up on the shift. But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

As far as he was concerned, his heart was painted on his sleeve. Since the polo match, as well as crashing his dates, they’d been spending more time together doing...normal stuff. After a close call in the restaurant (her exit had triggered the fire alarm), he’d started finding ways out of the dates. The paparazzi had picked up on their friendship, but they’d gotten away with a well placed comment here and there about how his best friend was dating her sister.

“You still have twelve other girls to dance with after me.” Mal chastised him, inclining her head in the direction of the girls dotted around the room, looking at them anxiously, “Can’t let your adoring public down.”

Ben raised an eyebrow as he spun her again. “Who are you, and what have you done to the girl who was almost breathing fire when I went on a date?”

Mal rolled her eyes. Leaning in, he thought she was going to kiss him - he hoped she was going to kiss him, that would end this eligible bachelor charade - but instead she placed her lips by his ear. He could feel her breath on his skin, and it took everything he had to avoid reacting, “This isn’t a date, Bennyboo. It’s  _ ceremony _ .”

She pulled back a little, continuing as if nothing happened, “Besides, you keep looking over their heads to find me. I’m surprised no one has stabbed you yet.”

“I would have thought your father was at the front of that particular queue.” Ben laughed, glancing around the ballroom. He was feeling a distinct lack of daggers in his back. 

“He’s with your dad.” Mal admitted, suddenly very interested in something over his shoulder. “Dealing with the border issue.”

Ben frowned, and turned Mal so he could see what she was focused on. There was nothing there, and she was still staring over his shoulder. Which meant she was avoiding him.

He couldn’t think why. 

Not long after the ball started, the Head of the Guard had snuck into the room to whisper to his father. His father had left, and Cogsworth had filled him in that there was an issue at the barrier. Something about Maleficent and the Evil Queen threatening guards.

There was no reason for Ben to be alarmed. And there was no reason for Hades to be involved either. Olympus took nothing to do with the Isle.

“Why is he-“

“Our mothers are the border issue.”

Mal still wouldn’t look at him, focusing on the point over his shoulder so intently he worried something would catch fire. 

He knew she had a mother. And he knew her mother was a fairy, while Evie’s was a human with magic. He’d never questioned why they weren’t in the picture. He thought it was just one of those quirks of Olympus.

“Your….” he repeated, trying to avoid sounding strangled. 

He tried frantically to remember anything he could about Maleficent having children. She didn’t have any that he knew of. They would appear in his briefings. And Mal had never shown any interest in evil. Or the Isle. 

She liked chaos. Chaos was not evil. 

And then he remembered, ice flooding through his veins. Of that horror story they used to tell at school. The one his parents would never tell him whether it was true or not. 

That Maleficent was the evilest villain of them all...because she killed her own baby. And the Evil Queen’s. All because she didn’t like the crying.

Mal smirked, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Finally meeting his eyes, she deadpanned, “I look pretty good for a dead girl.”


	7. Twenty Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben dies (sort of). Mal does not approve.

_Twenty Two._

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Ben turned towards the sound of the familiar voice, entirely confused.

One minute, he had been riding a horse in a charity polo match. He _hated_ polo. But it was for a good cause and Jane was insistent.

He remembered something coming towards him, and then he was...wherever _here_ was. 

It was a waiting room, kind of like you’d find in a government building.

There were people milling around in various states - boredom, crying, reading magazines. The walls were a dull grey, as if to deliberately lower the mood. 

He had absolutely no clue where he was, or why Mal was shouting at him.

“Where am I?”

He spotted Mal in the far corner, next to a window and filing cabinet. She was already stalking towards him, looking furious. 

He hadn’t seen her like this before. A floor length fitted dress and heels - navy, with a split to the thigh, and a neckline that drew his attention down. She was wearing one of her silver tiaras - this one reminded him of vines, the way it sat neatly in her hair. 

The more he looked, the more he noticed the similarity to her father’s council robes and crown.

Well, they were the same colour and both were floor length. Hades didn’t look half as good. 

“My waiting room.” Mal snapped when she reached him, turning her attention to the person at the desk behind him. He hadn’t noticed that. It was a woman. Young, but older than them. And she was shaking under Mal’s glare. “Why’s he here? Send him back. I’m refusing delivery.”

“Your maj-“ the woman tried to protest, holding up a piece of paper as if it explained everything.

“I’ll do it myself,” Mal snatched the paper out of her hands, and tore it in half without reading it. She didn’t spare Ben a glance and she clicked her fingers.

And then he was on the ground, pushing himself into a sitting position and gasping for air. 

“Wha- How- Did-“

Evie appeared by his side, but he couldn’t tell you where she came from. Everything was fuzzy.

At least Evie was dressed normally - her trademark deep blue, today in a long sleeved playsuit with red booties. At least he thought that’s what the blurs were. 

“Hmm, looks like Mal got there first.” Evie mused, reaching out to check him over. He felt a shooting pain near his temple and tried to jerk away from Evie’s touch. She held him firm with strength he didn’t expect. “Stop. You were knocked off your horse and hit your head. Being kicked out of the Underworld doesn’t negate getting a concussion.”

“Not going to lie,” Ben ground out as Evie continued to prod his head and wave her fingers in front of his eyes. “Not the sister I want to see right now.”

“Tough.” Evie replied curtly, reaching into her purse and pulling out...medical supplies?

Right. She was hiding her powers.

Suddenly Doug appeared behind Evie’s shoulder looking frantic. Ben wondered how Evie had reached him so much faster, but thinking made his head hurt, so he didn’t. “What happened? He wasn’t moving? Now he’s fine? Evie what-“

“He died.” Evie answered matter of factly, now forcing him to drink some clear liquid she’d conjured out of sight and ignoring the strangled sound Doug made. Ben wondered where the medics were. But that made his head hurt too. “Mal sent him back. Let’s call it a near death experience. Now help me make him look less like he just died before anyone notices.”

His head hurt less after he drank the liquid, he could see straight again. He could think in a straight line. He kept his eyes closed just to be safe.

He felt someone crouch it down by his side and thought that was the medics finally arriving.

“Next time you turn up in my waiting room, I’ll kill you myself.”

Ben opened his eyes at Mal’s growl, surprised to see her reaching for his hand. She sounded angry, but her eyes were worried. Looking him over for any other signs of injury. Taking the ice pack off of Evie (where did that come from?) and holding it to his head. 

She’d changed in the few minutes since he’d seen her. The dress was replaced with a purple playsuit more fitting to the occasion. The only indication that it hadn’t been a dream - other than the knowledge that he _was_ in fact seeing a daughter of death - was that she was still wearing her tiara.


	8. Twenty Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it crashing a party when you have an open invitation?

_ Twenty Three. _

Prince Ben’s 23rd birthday party took place in a seafront restaurant in King Eric’s Kingdom. 

The guest list was trimmed after he’d managed to convince Cogsworth that he didn’t need five hundred of his closest ‘friends’. 

He’d have been happy with a weekend away with his girlfriend.

But he needed a clear schedule for that. 

And a girlfriend who actually accepted that label.

Instead, they’d taken over the seafront restaurant, fifty people - most of whom he could actually say he liked - were milling about while waiters darted around refilling drinks and offering plates of finger foods.

It wasn’t horrible, but like everything else recently, he felt like something was missing.

Maybe it was seeing Evie and Doug settle down in their starter castle, while Evie’s design business took off. Or the invite to Audrey and Chad’s wedding that was sitting on his desk awaiting an RSVP - whether he was accepting his plus one or going stag.

Evie wasn’t here yet - Doug had mentioned a council meeting on Olympus running late. He knew Mal wouldn’t be here.

His birthday was Monday. He was seventy percent sure he’d wake up on Monday morning to discover she’d slipped into bed while he was asleep. Twenty percent said she’d already be asleep in his bed when he got home tonight.

The other ten knew better than to try and guess what she’d do next.

Since his fall from the horse six months before, things had been different. 

Mal was around more often, and she didn’t even pretend to come up with excuses anymore.

The first time it happened, he’d been confused. He’d walked back into his suite between meetings because he’d forgotten a file from his desk. He almost jumped out of his skin when she’d said hi from the floor beside the sofa. 

She’d been sitting on the floor, laptop perched on the table, and files covering every surface around her. 

_ ‘Don’t mind me. I needed quiet to work.’ _

He didn’t ask what part of the Underworld required so much paperwork. He’d just nodded, leaned over the back of the sofa to kiss her and contemplated rescheduling his meeting. 

The files had been gone when he came back after his meeting - the quickest policy review he’d ever completed - and she’d been in his kitchen cooking dinner. 

And then she’d stayed the night. 

And then told him she was needed back in the Underworld, but would see him at the weekend.

Confused had been an understatement. But he hadn’t wanted to spook her, so he just went with it.

Now, the longest they went without seeing each other was a few days. But that didn’t quite translate into attending his very public birthday party.

“Hey Doug, you didn’t tell me Evie was bringing a friend,” Harry, Happy’s son let out a low whistle as he stared at someone over Ben’s shoulder.

“I didn’t know she w-,” Doug turned to look where his cousin was fixated and went pale. “That’s her sister. She’s not on the market. At all. No matter what she tells you.”

Ben spun around at ‘sister’, and started grinning like a madman. 

He ignored the fact Mal probably wanted to play it subtle. That he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. That he should just be happy she was here.

She looked stunning in a mid thigh purple cocktail dress with matching heels. She’d pulled out her tiara for the occasion, the one with the snakes that he loved.

She looked like the original sin. 

And she was stalking towards him like he was prey.

“Hey, babe, sorry I’m late.” 

She’d never called him babe before. Ever. It was always a sarcastic  _ Bennyboo _ .

But before he could think too much about it, she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

It was perfectly appropriate for the present company.

The room still went silent.

Ben growled, pulling her back in. 

This was the best birthday present he could ask for.


	9. Twenty Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She’d wait forever if she left it to Ben.

_Twenty Five._

“Why haven’t you asked me to marry you?”

It was a Sunday morning. They were lying in bed, Mal flicking through social media while Ben read his morning briefings.

His father had brought up a phased transition into Kinghood. King Adam was approaching sixty, and while he still had many years ahead of him, he wanted to slow down. He didn’t want to burden Ben with the transition to Kinghood when he eventually died, mixing duty with grief.

So Ben was picking up more work, and at some point in the next couple of years he’d step up. 

Mal had just finished reading an article that outlined exactly why she and Ben had never married - citing everything from their parents’ disapproval, to keeping Auradon separate from Olympus and, her personal favourite, that she was really two-hundred-and-six and felt the age difference would never work.

Yes, she was immortal. But it was a moot point. When Ben died, she got his soul. She’d find a place for him in the Underworld when it was time, just like Evie would with Doug. 

Their children would be part god, so would be able to visit.

Her father would be in his element. He doted on Evie’s daughter, Ava. He might threaten Doug and Ben within an inch of their lives, but he took Ava every other weekend for picnics by the Phlegethon and the toddler’s favourite place in the Underworld was going for a nap in Cerberus' basket. 

She and Ben hadn’t had those conversations yet. Not babies or marriage or becoming Queen of Auradon as well as Princess of the Underworld.

She was starting to wonder if there was a reason why. 

“You’d say no.” Ben answered simply, without even looking up from the file in his hand. 

He was far too disinterested. She did not approve.

“You don’t know that.” She huffed, tossing her phone on the bedside cabinet and rolling towards Ben. She basically lived here now. 

She and Evie still worked with their father. Evie had her design business. Mal attended events with Ben and hosted galas and had a few charities she worked with.

She was basically his wife already.

“You still haven’t said yes to being my girlfriend.” Ben pointed out, flipping a page. She resisted the urge to set it on fire. “Kind of a prerequisite.”

“I’ve been here every night for the last six months.” Mal countered, well aware she was acting like a six year old.

“Eight actually.” Ben laughed, finally putting his paperwork to the side and sliding down so that he was face to face with her. He kept his face deliberately blank, as if he was waiting on a cue from her as to how this was going to go. 

“Who are you and what have you done with my nice conversvative boyfriend?” Mal complained, pushing his shoulder lightly. She was deliberate in her choice of label - making sure he knew where she stood.

Ben kept laughing at her, and pushed her backwards so that he was hovering above her, holding his weight on his forearms beside her head. Leaning down, he nipped her earlobe before he whispered, “You stole his soul.”

“I’m serious Ben.” Mal signed, trying not to let him distract her. “We were having fun and now...I live in the castle and have breakfast with your mother and attend events looking not terrifying.”

“...and that’s a bad thing?” Ben continued his exploration, lightly pressing his lips to her throat, chuckling when she moaned a little and moved to give him better access. 

“I just wondered why you didn’t try to lock me down.” Mal added after a long moment, rolling her hips into his for emphasis.

Ben pulled back, and Mal frowned at the sudden lack of contact. “Okay, M, if there is one thing I know about you, it’s that I _can't_ lock you down. You’d turn to smoke and slip through my fingers.”

Mal looked away, knowing there was a truth to his words. She hadn’t exactly made it easy for him in the beginning. But then why did he-

“But that doesn’t mean I haven’t had a ring in my desk for the last five years.” 

Ben sounded unsure as he said it, as if he expected her to turn into smoke beneath him and run.

Mal turned back to him, biting her lip. The guilt was probably written all over her face. “I know. I found it.”

She paused for a moment, and lifted her hand between them. A small cloud of smoke appeared in her hand, quickly disappearing to reveal a ring box. The one Ben has been so sure he’d hidden well. She shrugged again, trying to appear non-committal, “I kinda like it.”


	10. Twenty One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades, like any good single father, knows dinnertime is the perfect time to ambush your kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I wasn’t going to add any more. And then my best friend requested more. Specially, Doug and Evie. I don’t think this is what she meant though...

_Twenty One._

“You’re home early. What did Derek do?” 

Hades’ growl from behind the kitchen island was not softened by the frilly pink apron he wore over his black T-shirt and jeans. It had been a gag gift from Mal and Evie years ago, when they were sixteen and thought they were hilarious. What they had underestimated was their father’s ability to look a dare in the face and win. 

He wore it every night without fail. And Mal’s sure he wears it even when they aren’t home for dinner.

Evie hopped onto the stool next to Mal, spinning slightly as she grinned at her father. _“Doug_ didn’t do anything. He had a meeting and I didn’t feel like hanging out in his apartment alone.”

Hades simply nodded, returning his attention to the sauce he was cooking on the stove. Mal bit back a laugh, knowing that her father had expected Evie home and had cooked accordingly. He knew everything, and they knew he knew, but no one mentioned it.

“I do, however, have something I need to run by you about the ball next week.” Evie started, reaching over to grab a carrot stick from the pile of chopped veg on the board. 

Hades swatted her hand away with an eye roll, ignoring her grin. When they’d been children, it had been a full time job keeping them away from the food before it reached the table. Especially once they’d mastered teleportation. “Mal’s plaything’s ball, yes continue.”

“He’s not my plaything.” Mal snapped, refusing to look up from her magazine. It was one she’d snagged on her last trip to Auradon a few weeks before. 

The paparazzi had followed Ben to the park where they’d been having a barbeque. There were pictures of Evie sitting on Doug’s lap - her father hadn’t seen them yet - and a few of her and Ben standing talking by the picnic table.

They both had ball caps and sunglasses, drinks in their hands. It looked like an afternoon out with friends. 

They’d missed the part ten minutes later where he’d had her pinned up against a tree with his tongue down her throat. Glamours were excellent for that.

That didn’t mean they were together though.

“Keep telling yourself that, Mallie.”

“He _so_ is.”

Mal glared at the page, wondering why the suggestion that he was seeing Jane irked her and refusing to look at her father or sister.

She would not win this argument, so she would not enter it.

 _“Anyway,_ ” Evie turned her attention back to Hades, summoning another carrot stick. Hades grabbed it mid air, but Evie just conjured another into her hand. “Doug is worried about the dance rotation. Mal won’t go public, and he knows Ben will sulk the rest of the night if he gets three minutes with Mal at the start of the night and that’s it. He knows the eligible maidens will riot if Ben refuses to dance, but he doesn’t want to offend his girlfriend’s dad by bumping us down the list.”

Mal threw Evie a look of disgust. She wasn’t sure which part of her words offended her most.

The fact that Doug was worried about offending them - please, as if gods worried about the standing outside of Olympus.

The fact that Ben would be dancing with dozens of eligible maidens while she and Evie played dignitary's daughters. 

Or the fact that Evie was suggesting she and Ben should go public with their little sideshow.

That was a whole lot of nope right there.

Hades frowned, transferring the sauce to the pasta and mixing through. Then he added the shredded chicken. Evie swiped another carrot.

“You _did_ remind him I’m a god and my ego is not fragile.” He turned to transfer it all into an ovenproof dish and magicked it towards the oven. Leaning on the counter, he smirked at Evie, clicking his fingers and making the carrot disappear. When she pouted, he laughed and handed it back, “And my girls are just as robust.”

“You have him suitably terrified of you, my reassurance doesn’t matter.” Evie shrugged, leaning over to read the article over Mal’s shoulder. When she saw the pictures of her with Doug, she moved away again, hoping to avoid her father’s attention.

“Good.” Hades nodded, another click of his fingers returning all the pots and pans to their original state and moving them back into the cupboards. His favourite punishment was making them do things by hand. The human way. It was cruel and unusual, “You’re still bringing him to dinner on Saturday?”

Mal turned to gape at Evie, completely unaware of this development. 

She could see it now. Evie transporting Doug into the Underworld in a flash of blue flame. Doug trying to play it cool and only lasting as long as it took Cerberus to come trotting out. The four of them sitting in the dining room, her father burning a hole in Doug’s head. It would be magical.

“Yup, he’s terrified.” Evie sounded far too chirpy about her boyfriend’s upcoming doom.

Or maybe she was looking forward to their father’s head exploding.

“And are you bringing yours?”

Mal was caught out by her father’s question as he leaned casually opposite them, clearly in full interrogation mode. She glanced towards Evie, who was twirling her hair around her finger and grinning as if she’d known this was coming.

“I don’t have one.” She repeated, knowing she sounded defensive. A rookie mistake. Her father grinned.

“You kinda do.”

“I’ll make extra.”


	11. Housekeeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little housekeeping announcement

So.

I got a message saying that parts of one of my stories had been reposted elsewhere by someone who was not me. 

And I literally went “wait, what, me?” and I couldn’t decide if I should be outraged or flattered. And then the mum in me kicked in and I decided to make this a teaching moment. 

I don’t know if the person will read this - they didn’t reply to the message I sent, they deleted the story then their account - but this is a good message for everyone.

Okay, first and foremost, plagiarism is bad ju-ju. I stressed my way through a Masters degree worrying that I’d accidentally plagiarise the source material or my previous essays or my friends’ because we studied together. So I don’t expect that anyone doing it does so without going ‘oh shit what if I get caught’.

Which brings me to my second point. Fandoms are small places. Especially ones that are not actively adding new content. And ships are even smaller, especially the mainstream or m/f ones. Someone is going to notice and tell the original author.

I’ve been around fandom longer than I care to admit. I still run into people from the Harry Potter and Twilight days in somewhere like the Lucifer fandom and it’s like ‘oh fancy meeting you here, how’s life, omg how scary is it that we’re not twelve anymore but we’re still here?’. I remember when MCU was five different fandoms on FanFiction.Net and you had to post in Ironman comics if you wanted half a chance at feedback on your Avengers fics. 

Until now my experiences of plagiarism were:

  * Catching someone changing the names in a 2012 Castle fic and reposting it in another fandom
  * It happened to a girl I was friends with in the NCIS Jibbs days (copied from ff to Tumblr)
  * Watching people copy and paste stuff and fight it out for likes in the Twilight days (it was a dark, dark time)



What I’m saying is I never thought it would happen to me (back to flattered vs outraged) and I’m too old to want to get into a fight over it.

Which brings me to my third point - inspiration and tropes and finite concepts. If you liked my stories and worlds and they inspire you - great! Tell me about it! If you want to do your take on it, I’m glad you found something useful! Go ‘here’s my take on x idea’ (I did that for Once Upon A Dream) or cite me if you’re worried it’s too close. There is a reason my kindle is full of small town love stories or rockstar romances or military heroes. There are only so many tropes and formulas and ways to put the words together - we all just put our own stamp and slant on them. 

So to summarise:

  * It’s bad ju-ju
  * I know you probably shit it when I commented, and I want you to know I don’t care as long as you learn from it. My inbox is always open if you want to talk
  * If anyone wants to use my stuff, ask me and / or cite me 



And now I’ll get off my soapbox and finish off the next snapshot I’d been working on.


	12. Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a single dad to two girls, sometimes Hades questions all his life choices.

_ Nineteen. _

...

_‘I can’t argue with people who don’t have sisters. I always take it way too far. I never learned where the line was. Because when you grow up with sisters, your_ ** _entire_** **_life_** _is spent psychologically torturing each other. Then you’re sharing skittles ten minutes later like nothing ever happened.’_

...

“Fucking slut!”

Hades paused mid-dish and sighed deeply. Sending a look skyward, he wondered why he ever thought he could raise two girls alone.

He clicked his fingers, emptying the sink of the few remaining dishes and turned towards the shouting. 

Mal and Evie had materialised in the living area, standing either side of the coffee table. Hades knew they were only moments away from one sister throwing herself across the table to gouge the other’s eyes out. 

He hadn’t decided which one yet.

“That’s rich coming from Little Miss Siren Call over here!” 

Mal responded to the barb by throwing a green ball of energy in Evie’s direction. The older girl ducked it expertly by teleporting behind the chair and continued to antagonise her sister, “How did you meet your boyfriend again?”

Mal let out an inhuman screech and tossed another energy ball Evie’s way. Evie disappeared and reappeared behind Mal, cackling wildly. She reached over Mal’s shoulder, plucking something out of thin air in a way that made sure Mal saw her sister had it.

Then Evie disappeared again, and Mal’s hair caught fire as she spun too late. “He’s not my boyfriend!”

Hades took another calming breath. And reminded himself this would be worse with their mothers’ influences. 

Evie reappeared by the kitchen island, perched on a stool. She waved her trophy - a magazine, Hades realised - her voice taking on a sing-song quality as she taunted, “That’s not what  _ AuradonNow!  _ says!”

Mal shrieked again, her eyes turning green as she launched herself at Evie. 

“Enough,” Hades growled, freezing both girls in place with a snap of his fingers. They both turned their glares on him, momentarily united in their irritation.

Another snap of his fingers, and they were rearranged in the living area. He stood facing the daughters he had dropped on on the sofa. Mal sitting with her arms folded at one end, glaring anywhere but her sister. Evie was perched on her end, smirking at Mal.

Evie was dressed for partying, a short red dress that left almost nothing to the imagination and gold heels that could be mistaken for skyscrapers. He’d deal with that later, when his daughters weren’t actively trying to murder each other.

Mal, on the other hand, was in her pyjamas - a pair of shorts and an oversized T-shirt. Hades frowned when he looked closer and realised that it was in fact a  _ men’s _ shirt in a very distinctive shade of blue. 

“Explain,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his forehead, attempting to stave off the migraine that was threatening to erupt behind his eyes. Sometimes sending them back to the Isle didn't feel like overkill. 

Today was one of those days. 

“She said I can’t go out in Auradon.”

“She’s going out partying with  _ Ben.” _

They started talking at the same time, fighting over each other for dominance. The words got louder until they were back at shouting pitch, both letting their hair catch fire. 

“I’m going with  _ Doug _ who just happens to be Ben’s best friend and if you’d just get  _ over _ yourself-”

_ “Maybe _ I don’t want to waste my time with humans.”

“Oh stop it, you waste plenty of time with him.”

Evie and Mal were facing each other now at least, and Hades made sure he kept an invisible barrier between them. It was easier to fix the sofa where Mal had dug her fingers into the cushion than patch them both up after a catfight.

“Says the girl going out partying with a bunch of guys.”

“Only because you’re too proud to come with me!”

“What happened to humans are just playthings?”

“You are _literally_ _wearing_ his t-shirt!”

Hades groaned again, running his hands through his hair. Somewhere, his brothers were laughing at him. 

Poseidon had ten, but they were all boys. And most of them were out of the Palace and in their own kingdoms. Zeus had children everywhere, but he and Hera had only raised a few of them. Meanwhile, Hades was losing the will to live, and he only had the two.

“It doesn’t have to mean anything!”

“You shut down a restaurant two weeks ago smoking out after ruining his date!”

“This is their mothers’ fault,” he muttered darkly before wading back into the argument.

Boys would have been so much easier.


End file.
